


Road Trip

by Mistress_Mercy_94



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU where Terra has brown eyes, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Blood and Injury, Explicit Language, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships, SO MUCH FLUFF, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-19 11:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7359853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistress_Mercy_94/pseuds/Mistress_Mercy_94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Terra, Aqua, and Ven were all adopted by Eraqus as young children and have grown up to be rather close. Summer has finally rolled around and the trio decide to take a road trip by themselves for the first time to a place known as Destiny Islands. Initially all goes well, that is, until the trio hits an obstacle they weren't prepared for and interacts with people that they never planned on meeting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Motion Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> For Age Reference:  
> Terra = 20 years old  
> Aqua = 18 years old  
> Ventus = 15 years old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obvious chapter title is obvious.

"You ready, Ven?"

  
A young blond boy with big blue eyes poked his head out from the doorway of his bedroom. The 15 year-old was clad in a white t-shirt with short, black sleeves and shorts that had various shades of black, grey, and white. "Yeah! Just-," he huffed as he dragged his duffel bag out the door with him, "j-just hold on a sec!" 

Before the boy could say another word he felt the weight of the bag suddenly become lighter. The boy looked up to see his big brother Terra who sported tan skin, dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes. He wore a plain black t-shirt and some sandy-colored baggy pants which were a little out of season. "Need some help, Ven?"

"I can carry my own bag!" he protested, but the brunette simply chuckled and hoisted his younger brother's bag over his shoulder. Ventus pouted a bit, looking indignant. 

He heard a door shut further down the hall and turned his head to see Aqua, yet another one of his siblings who sported brilliant blue hair (currently pulled back into a short ponytail) and eyes to match. She wore a nice dress colored with various hues of blue. She had her own bag strapped to her shoulder. 

Ventus' eyes widened at her appearance. "Whoa..." 

Aqua blinked in confusion as she noticed Ventus staring. "What?"

A hand landed upon Ventus' head and ruffled his hair as he heard Terra laugh. "Ven's never seen you in anything other than your casual wear or your pajamas, Aqua. He probably thinks you look pretty, right?" he asked as he looked down at his younger brother. The boy was looking down at the floor, his face feeling hot with embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah..."

Aqua giggled at her brothers before walking over and giving Ven a pat on the head. "Thanks, Ven." The comment only caused the young blond's face to burn more and he only looked up when he heard Terra's voice once again.

"I'll take yours and Ven's things to the car. You two should say goodbye to Dad before we leave. He's cleaning up dishes in the kitchen," Terra suggested as Aqua handed him her bag before trudging off towards the front door.

"Come on, let's say goodbye to Eraqus."

"Alright," he replied cheerfully as he led the way into the kitchen. "Dad!"

Eraqus was none other than the man whom had adopted the three children in their time of need and was currently washing dishes at the sink, his back to the two. He was a man who looked to be of Asian descent with long black hair that was usually tied up, but it hung loose around his shoulders this morning. When he turned at the sound of Ventus' voice he turned to address him. The man's face was aged with time and marred by scars on his cheek and over his right eye. Ventus remembered asking him countless times about those scar, but the old man had dodged the question every time.

"Are you all on your way out, now?" 

"Mm-hm!" Ventus replied happily, running over to Eraqus to wrap him in a hug. 

The forty-something year-old man mussed his youngest son's hair gently and looked up to see Aqua standing before him as well. His deep brown eyes seemed to gleam with pride and Ventus watched as he reached over to cup his daughter's cheek. "You look beautiful in that dress, Aqua."

It was the blue-haired girl's turn to blush and she averted her eyes. "Thank you, Eraqus..."

Ventus could see the slight hurt in Eraqus' eyes at Aqua's words. She'd been the only one out of the three that had yet to start calling him father though he had endless patience. He didn't force her either knowing that things like that would take time. 

Before another word could be shared between them Terra entered the kitchen himself. "Everything's ready." 

Eraqus smiled as he saw his eldest son and rested his hand on his shoulder. "You take good care of your brother and sister on this trip," he said seriously before a smile graced his features. "And don't forget to take pictures while you're down there at Destiny Islands." 

"I've got the camera," Aqua chimed in as she held up the camera that was connected to a strap around her neck. 

"Alright then. Have fun, all of you," Eraqus added on happily before seeing his children off.

* * *

 

"Look, Aqua! Cows!" 

Ventus looked towards the front where Aqua was seated on the passenger side to make sure that she was indeed looking at the field of cows they were passing by. He heard a laugh come from the girl as she stared out the window, "Have you never seen cows before, Ven?"

"I haven't seen any in real life, just in books..." 

"Remind me to take you to a farm sometime," Terra added on as he kept his eyes on the road as the trio's designated driver. 

Ventus stared out the window in awe, watching the landscape change as they continued to drive further away from home. Hours and hours passed by and the only sound was the music from the radio until Ventus spoke up once again. 

"Hey, Terra..." 

"Hm?" 

"Can we visit Vanitas on our way to Destiny Islands?" 

His question was met with tense silence. Not everyone was a fan of Ventus' fraternal twin. Vanitas and he had been taken into the orphanage at the same time due to neglect from their parents though they had been adopted by different people. The two still kept in touch eventhough they lived far apart. 

The reason he was so disliked by his adopted family was the fact that he was the complete opposite of Ventus. He caused a lot of trouble in school, he cursed like a sailor, and he seemed to rub everyone the wrong way upon first meeting. Ventus was the only person who saw the good in Vanitas, that is until he grew to trust the woman whom had adopted him.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ven," Aqua finally answered. "Eraqus doesn't like you being around him."

"He's a bad influence, Ventus," Terra said in response.

"No, he's not!" Ventus argued.

"Besides his place is too out of the way of our route," he added on.

"But... he's my brother and I hardly get to see him anymore...," Ventus trailed off, looking down at his seat despondently. Silence hung over the three again until he heard Terra let out a huff, which might've been his form of a sigh.

"Maybe... if we can't find a hotel tonight... you can ask Vanitas if his mother and he can accommodate us for the night," Terra proposed tentatively. 

Ventus saw Aqua's head whirl around to look at Terra incredulously. "Terra, I don't-"

"Thanks Terra!" Ventus replied enthusiastically, a huge smile on his face.

The brunette turned to look at his worried sister and gave her a reassuring smile. "Only for one night Aqua. One night isn't going to kill us." He added on a little quieter so only Aqua would hear. "I don't like Vanitas either, but this is for Ven's sake, alright?" 

Aqua gave her older brother a look before shaking her head. "If it's for Ven I guess I can put up with it."

* * *

 

A few hours into the ride Ventus began to feel a building sense of discomfort. His stomach felt queasy and a steady pounding was making itself known in his head. He wasn't sure what was causing it, but he kept the problem to himself, not wanting to worry Terra or Aqua.

 _What's going on...?_ He wondered worriedly as he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. He rested his head against the back of Aqua's seat hoping that the unsettling dizziness and nausea would go away. They did anything but...

"T-Terra... how long until we get to the next gas station?" Ventus asked quietly. 

"Not for a while." He looked up at the rear-view mirror and his brow furrowed in concern at the pallor that had suddenly descended upon Ventus' countenance. "Hey... you okay back there?"

Ventus could feel Aqua's concerned gaze on him as well. "Ah, yeah... Just need a bathroom break," he mumbled. 

"Don't worry, Ven. We'll get there soon," Aqua reassured him and the fifteen year-old rested his head against the window willing for his symptoms to stop. A faint ringing was starting to accompany the dizziness.

Ventus was beginning to realize with quickly rising unease that he probably wouldn't be making it to the gas station. He swallowed as he felt his stomach heave before venturing to open his mouth to speak. 

"Terra. Stop the...," he swallowed again, "... stop the car... I-I need to get out...," he practically whispered the last part. The ringing wouldn't stop, in fact, it was getting louder and the sick feeling in his stomach was reaching its peak.

Terra seemed to do a double take at Ventus' words, but seemed to slow down regardless. "Ven, wha-"

Ventus was already flinging the car door open as Terra spoke, tripping over his own feet as he leapt out of the car while it was still moving. He could barely hear Aqua yelling his name over the ringing in his ears as he stumbled, falling to his knees and effectively scraping them up on the asphalt. A split second later he violently vomited into the grass next to the road.

He wasn't sure how long he was there throwing up on the side of the road, but he could feel a familiar hand rubbing his back in soothing circles. As the ringing in his ears began to fade he could also hear Aqua's gentle voice constantly reassuring him he was okay.

"You're alright, Ven... Ven, Ven... breathe, it's okay," Aqua murmured softly and he didn't even realize that he was gasping until she'd said something. He swallowed and winced at the sour taste in his mouth before taking in a deep breath. "Good, that's it..." As Ventus concentrated on breathing normally he heard Aqua talking to Terra above him.  
He hadn't realized the brunette had stopped the car, let alone gotten out. Aqua ordered her older brother to get some bottled water from the car and Ventus listened as his footsteps faded away. He felt a light tap on his shoulder from Aqua and he finally managed to look up at her. 

She definitely looked worried and maybe a little frightened too, probably because he'd stupidly jumped out of the car instead of waiting for Terra to stop. Her expression relaxed a bit as she spoke again. "Think you can stand up, Ven?"

He shook his head, not trusting his voice.

"Okay, let me at least help you sit up...," she suggested and she began to do just that by gently easing him into a sitting position so he wasn't on his hands and knees anymore. He swayed a bit and planted one of his hands on the hot asphalt to keep himself from slumping over.

Aqua continued to keep one hand on his back, providing extra support as Terra trotted back towards them with water bottle in hand. Ventus didn't realize he was spacing out until he felt the water bottle being pushed into his hand. He took a long moment to realize the top had been screwed off for him as well before taking a tentative sip. The cool liquid washed away that horrid taste in his mouth.

"Th... thanks...," Ventus whispered, his voice sounding a little hoarse. A larger hand placed itself on his back and he realized that Terra had also joined them on the ground. 

"Jesus, Ven... You scared the hell out of us," Terra muttered, voice wavering slightly. 

"...'m sorry," Ventus mumbled, slurring his words a bit, "Just... felt really sick... all of a sudden. Didn't wanna... mess up the car."

Terra huffed once more and he felt the brunette move his hand to ruffle his hair. "You dolt. That doesn't mean you have to jump out of the damn car." Ventus could hear a bit of relieved laughter in his voice. "Any other kid would've thrown up right there in the seat..." 

Aqua brushed Ventus' hair out of his face and frowned. "You're really sweating, Ven..." She looked up to Terra once more. "Let's get him back to the car."

Terra nodded once before gently scoping up Ventus in his arms and carrying him back to the car that was parked a few feet away. Any other time he would've protested at being carried like that, but this was certainly not one of those times. Terra set him down in the back seat and the blond seemed to sigh quietly as he felt the cool breeze from the air vents in the car. 

"Jeez, you did a number on your knees...," he muttered as Aqua joined Ventus in the backseat, first-aid kit in hand.

 _Always prepared..._ Ventus thought absentmindedly and hissed slightly in pain as she began to clean the wounds with some disinfectant.

"Sorry, sorry...," Aqua apologized quietly as she continued. When she was sure that the scrapes on his knees were clean she applied some antibiotic cream and bandages.

"There," she announced, looking satisfied with her work. "Does that feel better?"

"Mm," Ventus replied vaguely, closing his eyes. A cool hand pressed against his clammy forehead and he sighed at the contact.

"Hm, no fever...," Aqua wondered aloud. 

"Did the car ride make you sick?" Terra ventured.

"Dunno... Maybe..."

"Maybe you have motion sickness, Ven." There was more certainty in Aqua's voice this time. 

"Motion sickness?" 

"Yeah, it happens when you get nauseous from motion. Your senses tell you that you're moving but your eyes don't really see any movement happening. Your body gets confused and that's what causes the symptoms," Aqua explained as thoroughly as she could without confusing the 15 year-old boy. 

"I, uh... I think I understand..."

"But Ven rides in cars all the time and hasn't gotten sick before," Terra commented, leaning against the door frame as he looked inside at them. 

"Well, this is Ven's first road trip. He probably hasn't been stuck in a car this long before."

"Hm, we can probably find some medicine for him at the gas station up ahead," the brunette suggested. "You think you can hold out until we get there, Ven?"

"I don't know...," Ventus replied uncertainly. 

"Don't worry, Ven. As long as Terra drives carefully and you lay down instead of sitting up your symptoms won't worsen. I promise," she reassured the young boy and after a moment of silence Ventus nodded. 

"Okay..."

"And keep the air-conditioning blasting, Terra. That'll help too."

Ventus saw Aqua get up to move to the passenger seat again, but he caught her arm. "Hey, um... do you think you can stay back here. Just in case I, yknow..." 

The blue-haired girl smiled softly at her younger brother before sitting back down next to him. "Sure, if t'll make you feel better, Ven."

"Thanks."

* * *

 

**\---Aqua POV---**

  
Ventus was content to lay his head on Aqua's lap and she let him. Terra continued driving towards their destination at a reasonable speed. She hoped that they'd make it there without their charge vacating the contents of his stomach once again. Every now and then she'd check to make sure he didn't look uncomfortable, but he seemed to be doing alright with her advice to lay down.

"Ven?" she said as she looked down at her brother once more.

"... hm?" he murmured softly, not turning his head to look up at her.

"You alright?"

"My knees still hurt," he complained, but said nothing about feeling sick again.

"That's the price you have to pay for jumping out of the car like that," Terra remarked, though the levity in his voice suggested he was only teasing and not at all serious.

Aqua giggled quietly as Ventus lifted his head a bit to glare at the back of Terra's seat. "It's your fault for not slowing down, you speed demon."

 _"Speed demon?"_ Terra let out a huff of laughter. "If I'm a speed demon then you're a daredevil." 

"Am not!"

The two went on arguing for another minute before Aqua had to intervene by telling Terra he needed to focus on his driving and that Ven needed to lie down or he'd get nauseous again.

* * *

 

They reached the gas station within an hour, but Ven insisted on staying in the car while they went inside to fetch some medicine for him. The sky was tinted with hues of red, orange, and pink as it was already well into the afternoon. As soon as Aqua was inside the small store she made a beeline for the pharmaceutical section, followed by Terra. She seemed to frown as she looked through all the medications, not finding what she thought Ventus needed.

"Hey, Aqua." Terra called her name and when she looked up she saw the brunette holding up a familiar pink box.

"Terra...," she started, looking at her brother quizzically, "how is Benadryl going to help Ven? We need something for his motion sickness."

"I don't think we're gonna find specific medication like that unless we go to a Pharmacy, Aqua. Besides this stuff puts Ven out like a light and if he's not conscious he can't get nauseous, right?" he reasoned.

"I guess you're right...," Aqua reluctantly agreed and caught her brother's triumphant smile. "But we're only using it until we can find something better, okay?"

"Gotcha." Terra fished through his pants pocket before pulling out the keys to his car and holding them out to Aqua. "Here. Go fill up the car. I'm gonna go buy a few snacks."

* * *

 

**\---Terra POV---**

  
When Terra exited the store he saw that Aqua was leaning against the car, watching as the gas pump did its work. As he stepped closer to the car he looked through the plastic bag and brought out a bottle of sprite before handing it to Aqua. She gave him a grateful smile before taking the beverage.

"You driving the rest of the way?" he asked.

"I'll drive until we find a suitable hotel," she corrected before taking a sip of the sprite.

"I think we should crash at Vanitas' place. It'll be a little late into the night by the time we get there, but it's faster than driving around and searching for a hotel."

Aqua raised one of her eyebrows at her brother. "I thought it was 'too out of the way' for us to visit?"

Terra's brow furrowed and he stared at anything but his sister as he spoke. "I know, but... I think it's best we don't drive much more today. Might be hard on Ven because of what happened earlier," he replied honestly, "and it'll give us time to find some proper medication."

Aqua closed her eyes as she let out a soft sigh, but the brunette could tell from her expression that she could see the logic in his words. "Alright... If you think it'll be better for Ven."

"I know it will," Terra said before walking over to the back door of the car and opening it. He saw that Ventus was still sprawled out across the seats, his eyes closed. "Hey, Daredevil."

He grinned when the blond boy opened his eyes to glare at him. "What...?"

"Scoot over. Aqua's driving for the next few hours."

Ventus obliged, sitting up to give his brother more room. "Brought something for ya." He chuckled softly as he saw that his younger brother looked genuinely curious. Terra rummaged through the plastic bag pulling out the medicine first and handing Ventus a pink pill. 

He failed to hold back the laugh that came from him at the scowl that had planted itself upon the blond's face.

"Benadryl? Why?"

"Just take it, doofus." He pulled out a small bottle of apple juice as well. "And here. Maybe this won't be too hard on your stomach. If you're feeling hungry any time soon I have some pretzels in here too."

Without saying another word the 15 year-old snatched the pill and juice out of his hands. He swallowed the pill quickly and downed it with some apple juice soon after. "...Thanks, Terra...," he mumbled quietly.

"No problem," he replied, ruffling his brother's windswept locks fondly. "Think you can eat something?"

"Nah. Don't have much of an appetite right now."

"No worries. Food'll still be here when you get hungry."

Both of them looked up when the driver's side door opened and Aqua slipped behind the wheel. She turned around to look at them both and smiled. "You boys ready?"

"Yep," Terra responded before patting his lap as he looked to Ventus. "Ready to use my lap as a pillow, little brother?" This time both Aqua and he laughed when Ven frowned at him.

* * *

 

As Terra predicted Ven was in a drowsy state only after a few minutes into their drive. The brunette began to notice that the boy's cerulean eyes were beginning to droop with fatigue and that he was uncharacteristically quiet, though he'd been that way since he'd gotten sick. It seemed as though he was trying to fight off sleep though.

 _Still acts like a little kid..._ Terra thought to himself fondly. "Ven."

"Mm..." Ven's reaction was slow to say the least, but he managed to look up at Terra.

"Go to sleep," he ordered. "You're not gonna miss anything exciting,"

"Says you," Ven muttered, but his words didn't necessarily have any impact because soon after his eyes drifted shut and his breathing slowed.

"Out like a light," Terra chuckled quietly. 

"You should get some rest too, Terra," Aqua suggested, not looking away from the road. "It'll be a while before we get there. To Vanitas' place, I mean."

"I will. Gotta make a call first." He reached into Ven's shorts pocket and pulled out his brother's cellphone. He scrolled through Ven's contacts until he reached Vanitas' name. 

"What are you doing?" Aqua was giving him a look as she saw him holding Ven's phone in the rear-view mirror. 

"I told you. Just giving Vanitas a call. Giving advance warning won't kill me, right?" Before his sister could open her mouth to argue he had dialed the number.

 **"Yo, Ven,"** Vanitas' deep voice resonated through Terra's ear. **"Callin' behind your big bro's back again?"**

Terra scowled, remembering when he'd warned Ventus about speaking to Vanitas. Clearly he had been disobeying him, but he'd worry about that later. "Hey, you little shit."

 _"Terra!"_ Aqua hissed in a scolding tone.

**"Oh, hey. Speak of the devil. What do you want?"**

"We need a place to stay for the night and we'll be at your place in a few hours."

**"What? You guys homeless now or somethin'?"**

One of the brunette's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, but he worked to keep his voice even. "Ven didn't tell you about our little road trip?"

**"Oh, that. Sure, but why do you have Ventus' phone?"**

"He's taking a nap right now. Can we stay over or not?" A bit of impatience slipped into his voice as he spoke.

Vanitas snorted. **"What is he, a baby?"**

_"Vanitas."_

**"Alright, alright. Don't blow a fuse, buddy. I'll let my mom know you guys are stopping by."**

"Thank yo-"

**"If you apologize for calling me a little shit."**

Terra couldn't stifle the huff of heated air that came from his lungs. "You...!"

**"Hm?"**

The brunette was quiet for a long minute. Remember this is for Ven... He told himself before muttering reluctantly, "S... Sorry..."

 **"For what?"** When his question was met with angry silence the boy on the other line let out an arrogant laugh. **"Hahaha! Just fucking with you, man. See ya in a few hours."**

Terra continued to glare at the phone even after the boy hung up. 

"Still think this is a good idea?" Aqua questioned from the driver's seat.

".... yes...," he said begrudgingly.

"Doesn't sound like it."

"Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never really experienced car sickness so I tried to research and write that portion of this chapter as best as I could. This may be finished in about 3 chapters at the least. Constructive criticism is welcome!


	2. Sibling Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Ventus' twin Vanitas in all his glory.

"Ven."

He felt a rough hand shaking him, but he only responded with a groan.

"Ven, wake up, sleepy head."

"Five... more minutes...," he mumbled drowsily. When strong arms suddenly lifted him up out of the seat he yelped, deep blue eyes flying open as he jerked awake. _"Terrrrraaa,"_ he whined as he realized that his older brother had lifted him out of the car and was in his arms yet again.

"We're here."

"Where?" he muttered grumpily.

"Vanitas' place."

Ventus blinked in surprise letting his eyes adjust to his surroundings. It was dark which led the blond to believe he'd slept for quite a long time and the air outside was humid and stuffy. The next thing he noticed was that they had parked in a small neighborhood, next to a rather familiar house. He'd only seen Vanitas' house a handful of times considering his brother was so far away, but he'd recognize it anywhere.

"Put me down," Ventus ordered.

"Are you finally conscious?"

"Yeah." When the brunette finally set his feet on the ground again he saw Aqua getting out of the car. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," his sister answered. "That medicine knocked you out for a while. Ready to head inside?"

Ventus nodded, eyes brightening as he followed Aqua to the front door. Terra followed close behind after retrieving their bags. The blue-haired girl gave the door a good few taps and waited patiently for someone to answer.

After a minute or two a familiar black-haired boy wearing a black tank top with red boxers that had black prints of gears on them answered the door. He seemed to smirk as he looked up at Aqua.

"Helllooo cutie," he drawled, golden-hued eyes looking her up and down. "You still look pretty hot even _with_ clothes on," he added, hinting to an incident that had happened long ago. An incident that still made Aqua's face go as red as a tomato when mentioned

"Hey, Vanitas!" Ventus chimed in cheerfully before his sister could say a word.

"Yo, little bro!" The endearment caused the blond to roll his eyes. Though they were both the same age Vanitas liked to think he acted older than his twin. "You look like you just woke up from the dead."

Despite the rude comment Ventus tackled his smart mouth brother with a hug which elicited a small chuckle from Vanitas.

"C'mon inside. Mom made you guys some dinner." The black-haired boy said, beckoning his siblings to come in as he playfully draped an arm over his twin's shoulder.

"Your mom stayed up this late to make us dinner?" Ventus questioned curiously as he let Vanitas drag him into the small, yet cozy kitchen.

"Nah, she's asleep. She made some extra for you guys when we had dinner earlier. I'll take it out of the fridge."

Ventus followed the black-haired boy as he rummaged through the fridge, curious as to what kind of leftovers they'd be having. When Vanitas pulled out some plates covered with curry and rice his mouth practically watered. He set the plates on the dining room table as he spotted Terra hefting their bags into the living room.

"Ven, you heat up the plates in the microwave. I'll show my _big bro_ the guest bedroom upstairs," the golden-eyed boy offered and Ventus saw Terra immediately frown at the words "big bro," but made no comment as he followed Vanitas up the stairs.

As the two disappeared Ventus heated up the plates one at a time while Aqua sat down at the table. In a matter of minutes two steaming plates had been set at the table with all the necessary utensils.

Ventus was watching the last plate, which was his own, being heated in the microwave as his stomach suddenly growled. The blond whipped his head around, embarrassment obvious in his features as Aqua giggled.

"Good to hear that you have your appetite back, Ven," she said fondly as Vanitas and Terra finally joined them in the kitchen.

"Why wouldn't he have an appetite, Bluebird?" Vanitas asked, black eyebrows raising in curiosity as he pulled some extra chairs into the kitchen.

"It's _Aqua_ ," she corrected him almost immediately, giving him a pointed look.

"Yeah, yeah."

"No reason, Vanitas." The black-haired boy seemed to frown at Ventus' quick response. Terra and Aqua seemed to have similar expressions. "I just haven't eaten anything all day."

"But why?"

The microwave beeped before Ventus could be forced to answer and he took out his plate before sitting down at the table. "Doesn't matter. I'm eating something now, aren't I?" The blond began digging in, all too aware of the three pairs of eyes on him. After a moment everyone else started eating as well.

Vanitas didn't ask anymore questions and tugged a chair over to sit beside Ventus, bumping the blond's shoulder gently with his own. He knew the silent gesture all too well. Without opening his mouth the golden-eyed boy had asked him a question with the small movement: _Are you okay?_

Ventus swallowed down a large portion of his dinner before aiming a soft punch at his twin's shoulder. _I'm fine._

* * *

 

"What was that all about?" Terra questioned when the trio were by themselves in the guest bedroom. They'd all taken a well-deserved shower after dinner and Vanitas gave them a spirited goodnight before disappearing into his own room.

"What was what about?" Ventus dodged as he sat in the middle of the big bed that they'd all be sleeping on. He now wore a white tank top with beige boxers. His hair was still slightly damp from his own shower.

Aqua plopped down next to Ventus causing the boy to bounce a little on the bed. She wore a nice dark blue night gown. She'd also taken her hair out of its ponytail, letting it hang loose. "Why were you avoiding Vanitas' questions?" she elaborated.

"Oh... that." He twiddled his thumbs as he looked down at his lap. "Y'know, I just... Don't like talking about that knd of stuff. It's... embarrassing."

"There's nothing wrong with getting sick, Ven. It happens to everyone," Aqua reassured as she rubbed the blond's shoulder.

Terra came to sit on Ventus' opposite side, wearing a maroon tank top with black boxers. "There is, however, something wrong with jumping out of a moving car."

Ventus glared at the brunette as Aqua swatted his shoulder giving him a reproachful look.

"He's your brother, Ven. I'm sure he cares about you as much as we do. I doubt he'll judge you for getting carsick," she added on.

"Hm..." Ventus closed his eyes, blond brows drawing together in thought. "I guess you're right...," he said tentatively before falling back onto the pillows. His lips parted in a wide yawn. He opened one eye as Terra patted his leg.

"Still tired, sleeping beauty?"

"Yes...," Ventus replied bluntly before rolling onto his stomach and burying his face into a pillow.

"Guess that means it's tme for bed," Aqua said simply before walking over to the wall where the switch was and turning off the lights. Ventus felt the blankets shift around him as Terra settled in and the bed dipped as Aqua rejoined them.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned his head to the side to look at his sister. She surprised him when she leaned down and brushed some of his hair out of his face before placing a gentle kiss against his forehead. "Night, Ven."

Ventus blinked in bewilderment before burying his face in the pillow again as he felt his face grow red at the small gesture. "N-Night...," his response came out muffled. Honestly, Aqua often acted like the mother he'd never had eventhough the blond considered her a close sibling at best.

Terra's big hand came down on his head and ruffled his hair. "G'night, you little dork."

The 15 year-old couldn't help the little smile that formed on his face as Aqua wrapped an arm around him and Terra in turn wrapped a long arm around the both of them, just like he used to when they were younger.

* * *

 

_A crash suddenly woke Ventus and he jolted from his slumber to find a significantly younger Vanitas standing over him shaking him roughly._

_"Van...?"_

_"Get up. Mommy and Daddy are fighting. We gotta go," he whispered and pushed his baby brother to his feet. His black-haired twin grasped his hand as they began to climb their way over various debris and filth towards the back door._

_Something suddenly yanked Ventus' arm, practically pulling out of its socket and he screamed, looking up into the angry eyes of his father as he snatched him from Vanitas' grasp._

_"Where do you think you're going, you little shits. Come here." His father began dragging him towards the dark steps of the basement._

_"I don't wanna go in the basement! It's scary!" Ventus cried._

_"Shut up!"_

_The little child flinched, whimpering in fear as his eyes watered up with tears._

_"Leave him alone!" cried Vanitas as he pounded on his father's leg with his tiny fists. Ventus watched in horror as his father sent a merciless kick towards his own son, hitting the small black-haired boy hard._

_"Van-Van!" he screamed but his twin lay motionless on the ground. The blond boy continued to scream even when he found himself surrounded by darkness..._

Ventus jerked awake, his own screams of terror echoing in his head as he stared up at the dark, unfamiliar ceiling. As he attempted to control his breathing he struggled to remember where he was. He slowly began to remember that they were at Vanitas' place and that he was miles away from his abusive parents., laying between the two people who cared about him the most.

As he calmed down he realized that his whole body felt hot and clammy. There was movement beside him and he turned his head to see Aqua opening her eyes wearily.

"Ven...?"

"Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep," he murmured quietly and waited until the blue-haired girl had drifted off to dreamland again before slipping out of Terra's and her grasp. He crawled off of the bed being successful in not waking his siblings as he quietly padded into the hallway.

The blond boy found the bathroom and splashed his face a few times with cold water to cool off. As he exited the bathroom he peered down the hallway towards Vanitas' closed door. The fifteen year-old glanced around for a moment before quietly walking over to his brother's door and knocking on it lightly. After a minute Vanitas opened the door, his golden eyes dulled with fatigue and his hair looking messier than usual.

"Ven?" The boy didn't look too happy to see him. In fact he was giving him a bit of a sleepy glare. "What the hell are you doing? It's 3 am."

"Ah, really? Um....," he hesitated, scratching his head a little nervously.

"Yes, really. What do you want?" His tone was going from tired to irritated.

"I, uh... had a nightmare."

"Yeah, so?" His dark brows lowered over his eyes in an expression that was none too pleasant. "You want me to get a bottle of milk for you?" he replied condescendingly, but when Ventus finally looked into his brother's eyes the black-haired boy's expression changed completely.

"Jeez, bro. You look like shit." He paused for a moment, his eyes searching Ven's deep blue optics. "Did you have a nightmare about _him_?"

When Ventus nodded Vanitas sighed quietly. "Fuck," he whispered more to himself than his brother before grabbing him by his arm and dragging him into the dark bedroom. He turned on his bedside lamp and pulled his brother to the bed before sitting on top of it with him.

"Vanitas?"

"Which one was it this time?"

The blond looked confused before realizing he was asking about the dream. "The one where you got hurt...," he answered almost inaudibly.

"Ah, that one." For once the boy's golden eyes held a bit of sympathy.

Ventus looked down at his lap, noticing that his hands were shaking but he couldn't stop it. He clenched them into fists but that did little to nothing. To his own chagrin a pathetic sniffle found its way out of him.

"Ven..."

"I-I th-thought.... you-you were dead...," he whimpered softly, angrily wiping at his eyes becuase he knew it was ridiculous to be crying about something as insignificant as a nightmare. _Vanitas was right here in front of him!_

"Aw, Ven... Don't... Don't do that." Uncharacteristic concern washed over Vanitas' face and for the first time since he'd seen him the boy looked like he didn't know what to do. "Jesus, don't cry, you big baby."

"I-I'm not...," he blubbered unconvincingly.

"Goddammit," Vanitas cursed softly before wrapping his brother in a tight hug. "I'm fine, alright? I'm not dead. Stop crying. You're going to get the hiccups like you used to if you don't."

A little laugh came from Ventus at his brother's last statement even as the tears continued. "S-Sorry... I just got scared... for a minute," he mumbled, resting his head against Vanitas' shoulder.

"Hey, our dad was pretty damn scary though," Vanitas admitted as he stared at the wall for a moment. "I had nightmares too..."

Ventus pulled away for a moment, blinking confusedly. "You did?"

"Yeah, had a lot of 'em when I first moved here, but Mom was always there to make me feel, y'know... safe and stuff," he admitted scratching his messy head of hair.

"Aqua and Terra did that too," Ventus said.

"Of course. That's what siblings do, right?" The black-haired boy grinned. "Even if they are a pain in the ass, they're always there to make sure you're okay."

Ventus raised an eyebrow to stare at his brother quizzically. "Who's a 'pain in the ass'?"

Vanitas laughed. "Definitely that older brother of yours."

"Terra?"

"Haha, yeah. He called here before you guys came over and he called me a little shit."

_"He didn't!"_

"But he apologized, so its no big deal," Vanitas added on, giving his brother a haughty grin. "Anyway, you feelin' better now?"

"Yeah," Ventus admitted honestly as he wiped his face. "Mind if I stay in here for the night?"

"No problem."

"Thanks, Van-"

"If you tell me what Bluebird meant back there in the kitchen."

Ventus frowned at his brother, hoping in vain that he'd forgotten his odd behavior in the kitchen earlier. "Vanitas..."

"Do you think I'm a dumbass, Ven?"

"No, I just..." The serious look that Vanitas shot him caused Ventus to trail off, forgetting what excuse he was planning to use. The two seemed to stare at each other for a solid minute before Vanitas broke the stalemate by raising his eyebrows.

"We can do this all night, bro."

Silence descended on the two once again before Ventus suddenly rolled off the bed, trying to make a dash for the closed bedroom door. As soon as the blond's feet touched the carpet Vanitas tackled him with the force of a linebacker and Ventus faceplanted into the floor.

"Now." Ven grunted as the black-haired boy sat on top of him with a well-placed hand pressing against the back of his head. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or am I gonna have to make you cry uncle first?" Vanitas grinned when his brother smacked the floor with one of his hands in a sign of surrender.

When his twin finally let him up off the floor Ventus began to explain what had happened during the ride over. The golden-eyed boy seemed to listen to his story with a neutral expression the whole time with the only exception being when Ven got to the part where he'd jumped out of the car. Vanitas' eyes had gotten quite big at that section of the story.

"Damn! Seriously?" he exclaimed after Ventus was finished. "Is that why you're knees are fucked up?" The black-haired boy tapped on one of his brother's knees where his scrapes had scabbed over.

"Yeah...," he replied as he felt his face get hot with embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Why didn't you just open the window, man?"

"Well... I guess I wasn't thinking straight at the time," he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Heh, I can imagine."

Ventus blinked. "You can?"

"Yeah, I get motion sickness too," Vanitas answered nonchalantly. "Mine's a little worse than yours though. I can't stay in a moving car for more than thirty minutes, let alone hours!"

It was the blond's turn to be concerned at his brother's confession. "Really? How come you never told me?" At his question Ventus could feel a sense of hurt enveloping him.

"Cause it wasn't that big of a problem. Mom took me to the doctor as soon as she could and got me some medicine." He paused for a moment before tapping a place behind his ear. "You remember when we had that sleepover at your place two years ago and I had that bandaid thing behind my ear, right here?"

Ventus looked deep in thought at his brother's question remembering vaguely that he did wear a bandaid, or what he thought was a bandaid, behind his ear that weekend. "I think so, but why do you ask?"

"It's a scopola... a scopo, uh...." Vanitas' brows drew together in frustration as he tried to pronounce the word he was looking for and eventually gave up. "It's this patch that you have to put behind your ear and it'll like keep you from feeling sick and throwing up while you're in the car. I could lend you some, but I dunno if Mom wants me sharing it..."

Ventus' eyes seemed to brighten as his brother told him about the patch and he decided to ask a question out of curiosity. "How long do they work?"

"For like three days."

The blond's cerulean eyes widened. "That long?"

"Yeah. How long until you guys get to where you need to go?"

Ventus looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Probably two or three more days."

"Hm, maybe if I loan you a few patches Mom won't mind. I'll ask her tomorrow," Vanitas promised before glacing at his bedside clock. "For now, we should probably go to sleep."

As if on cue Ventus' let out a wide yawn, signaling that it was indeed time to go back to sleep. After Vanitas turned out the lights once more the twins crawled under the blankets. The two sat in the darkness for a long moment before Ventus spoke up again.

"You know Aqua and Terra are still mad at you..."

"For what?"

"For what happened at that sleepover."

"Still? It's been two years!"

Ventus laughed, "Haha, I know."

"You had to admit that you had fun though, right?"

"You bet. Well, except for the part where I broke my wrist..."

"Oh yeah! That was a little scary."

"Dad was really mad when that happened. That was also the first time I saw you cry."

"You were bawling like a little baby too!"

"Yeah, but that was because my wrist was broken. What was your excuse?" he argued.

He felt Vanitas shrug next to him before talking about something else. "I got an earful from Mom too when I got home. What about all those pranks we played on your brother?"

"The best one was when you replaced his shampoo with white paint. It took forever for him to wash it out. He even had to cut his hair."

This caused a snort to emit from Vanitas. "Really? Haha, no wonder he called me a little shit. What about Bluebird?"

"Aqua? Oh, she hasn't forgotten. That was all your fault though."

"Hey, I didn't think anybody was in the bathroom at the time," he confessed.

"You didn't knock either..."

"She didn't lock the door so it's her own fault."

"Vanitas..." A hand suddenly came down on his head and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Enough, Ven. Let's go to sleep."

"Alright, Van-Van," he replied teasingly and he felt Vanitas punch his shoulder lightly.

"You haven't called me that since we were little."

"You want me to?"

"No, it's lame."

_"Is not!"_

"Ven! Go. To. Sleep."

Ventus laughed softly, "Okay. Night, Vanitas."

"Night, little bro."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a bit of filler, detailing that incidental sleepover from 2 years ago.


End file.
